you should see the things we do

with each love i cut loose i was never the same

A hush settles over the Wildwood: branches arch overhead in burnished ochres and flame-bright russets, and every lazy breeze releases a confetti of leaves that skitter across the moss. Flora stands at the centre of a small clearing wearing scuffed jeans and a pale tank top, the fabric clinging faintly where morning mist still lingers. A braid of sun-bleached curls brushes the small of her back each time she twists, golden bangles chiming at her wrist like distant windchimes—quiet reminders that even stripped to simplicity, the Queen of Torchline never quite surrenders her shine.

Spice circles above, a snow-white flicker against the autumn canopy. The little dragon’s wings beat with measured grace, scattering cool drafts that offset the lingering LongHeat in Flora’s skin; every exhalation leaves brief, silver ghosts of frost along the nearest branches.

Flora breathes, feeling the weight of each feather dagger balanced between her fingers—poisoned edges gleaming wickedly in the filtered light. One heartbeat more, and she pivots, arm unfurling in a fluid arc. Steel whistles; the blade thunks into a silver birch, vibrating with smug precision dead-centre of a knot.

Gif snipped by Sky <3

This scene feels like what I once saw on a screen
I searched 'aurora borealis green'

Thunk!

Liam stuck his head cautiously around the tree he'd been sitting under to find a dagger quivering in a knot on the tree's trunk. His gaze swept over the small clearing to settle on a familiar figure with sun-kissed skin and golden hair, a trail of bangles whispering upon her wrist. Smiling - despite their awkward previous encounter, Liam liked Flora - he got to his feet and ambled around the tree.

He was dressed casually today in jeans and a t-shirt that highlighted muscular arms. He'd elected to go without weapons today, save for a dagger tucked into a boot. "Hey, Flora," he said. "Imagine seeing you here. How've you been?"

I've never seen someone lit from within
Blurring out my periphery

Liam

with each love i cut loose i was never the same

Flora pivots in a swift half-circle, daggers flashing moon-bright as she tracks the voice. For the briefest moment Liam’s outline wavers—a ghost-shadow of spiralling void threads curls around his shoulders, as though some inky creature is trying to wear him like a cloak. Her pulse thuds once, hard, before memory reminds her what infection does to the eye that has already stared into that darkness.

Spice wheels overhead, a ribbon of white frost swirling down in cautious welcome while Flora forces the tension from her grip. "Hey," she answers, the word clipped at the edges though she smooths it with a crooked smile. Lifting her hand, she recalls her dagger into her palm.

"I’m fine—had a little brush with Dahlia." Her shrug is almost careless; only the subtle hitch of her shoulder betrays the truth of how close that came to ending her. "No biggie." She flicks stray bark from the dagger’s edge, glancing him up and down with an amused tilt of her head. "You, though? You’ve certainly looked better. Something about you screams ‘void-chic’ this season." The tease softens the wary set of her gaze even as she keeps that faint, swirling distortion in the corner of her vision, ready to split the distance between them if darkness moves.

Gif snipped by Sky <3

This scene feels like what I once saw on a screen
I searched 'aurora borealis green'

Flora recalled the dagger, and Liam watched it go with one eyebrow raised. He wasn't familiar with Flora's weaponry, but he had to admit that having daggers that would return when called would be useful in a fight. Not, of course, that he was anticipating one any time soon - not a real one, anyway - but he made a mental note to do his best not to piss Flora off again, just the same.

A little brush with Dahlia, she said, and Liam's brows rose further. "What can I say?" he replied with a crooked smile. "Purple's a good color on me." At least she didn't seem particularly bothered by his - what did everyone like to call it? - infection. He leaned against the tree, casual and relaxed. "So, are you the reason the Family's left, then?"

I've never seen someone lit from within
Blurring out my periphery

Liam

with each love i cut loose i was never the same

Flora wrinkles her nose, head tilting slightly as she casts a once-over down Liam’s frame. "Is it though?' she drawls, the corners of her mouth twitching in amusement. "You’re giving more ‘bruised grape left in the sun too long’ than fashion-forward." The tease is light, but there’s still a watchfulness behind her eyes, that same tension coiled beneath the surface.

But it’s his next question that earns a lofted brow and a dramatic, imperious lift of her chin. "Please." Her tone is pure queen, effortless and sharp as cut glass. "Dahlia’s the reason they’re gone. If she hadn’t attacked me, she wouldn’t have gotten herself pricked by a rose."

She tosses a stray leaf from her shoulder with a flick of her fingers. "And anyway," she adds, her voice turning breezy as her smile cools, "they overstayed their welcome."

Just in case Liam’s easy posture is harbouring any clever thoughts—some fond little notion of defending the Family or mourning their absence—Flora lifts her hand and, with a flick of her wrist, sends a dagger whistling through the air. It bites deep into the bark of the tree just inches from his head, the metal humming with impact as it settles.

Gif snipped by Sky <3

This scene feels like what I once saw on a screen
I searched 'aurora borealis green'

Liam was many things, but the kind of person to argue a lost cause, he was not. He was well aware that Flora had been killed by the Family - and as a result, he very much doubted that she would be swayed to their cause. So he wasn't planning to defend the Family to her, or to mourn their absence. In fact, he might have let the subject drop entirely.

But then there was a dagger whistling through the air to embed in the bark of the tree beside his head, and Liam jerked away. "What the fuck, Flora?" he swore, staring at the queen as though he'd never seen her before. He'd previously labeled her as formidable, and damn if that wasn't true - he just hadn't had it directed at him quite so viciously before. "I'm not a threat, okay?"

I've never seen someone lit from within
Blurring out my periphery

Liam

with each love i cut loose i was never the same

Flora lifts her hand with slow, deliberate ease, and the dagger buried in the tree beside Liam shudders once before sliding free and zipping cleanly back into her palm. Her fingers close around the hilt like a habit she’s never had to break, and her eyes remain fixed on him—still narrowed, still wary, even as her stance relaxes by degrees.

"You’re infected, Liam," she says flatly, no edge of mockery this time—just the steady weight of a truth too close for comfort. "And just because the Family’s gone doesn’t mean you weren’t given some parting gift. A little nudge. A whisper. Something nasty planted that hasn't bloomed yet."

She shifts the dagger back to her belt, but doesn’t take her eyes off him. "I’ve died once already, and I’m not in the habit of repeating lessons I’ve already learned." The curl of her lip is faint—not quite a snarl, but close enough to pass for one in the filtered leaflight. "So no, I’m not assuming you’re a threat. I’m assuming you could be. There’s a difference."

Gif snipped by Sky <3

This scene feels like what I once saw on a screen
I searched 'aurora borealis green'

There it was again: that word, infected, like it even meant anything now that the Family were gone from Caido. Liam scowled at the queen, even as she tucked the dagger away into her belt. The thing was, she made sense - and even if he knew he was no threat, he had no way of proving it to Flora. "The Family never asked anything of me," he told her, eyeing the daggers on her belt. "I swear to you, you are in no danger from me."

Not that it mattered what he had to say - and why should it, when she'd died at the Family's hand? Even to Liam, through the violet-tinged haze of his thoughts, couldn't quite reconcile this woman with the one the Family had sought to silence. "And even if you were," he added. "I'm not sure I could best you." Not with those daggers, anyway, not to mention the myriad other tricks she likely had up her sleeve.

"But I'll just go," Liam offered, pushing off the tree and making to do just that. "See you around, Flora."

I've never seen someone lit from within
Blurring out my periphery

Liam

with each love i cut loose i was never the same

Flora doesn’t interrupt, but she doesn’t soften either.

The word infected still lingers between them like smoke, curling sharp in the quiet, and despite Liam’s insistence—despite the scowl and the earnest tone—her posture doesn’t shift an inch. Her fingers remain close to her belt, and her eyes never stray from his, unreadable but watchful in that way predators are when they're not sure if they’re done hunting yet.

She hears the words. The Family never asked anything of me. You’re in no danger. I couldn’t best you. Only one of those, she believes.

So when Liam straightens and makes to leave, Flora merely nods once, her voice smooth and light in contrast to the tension still humming beneath her skin. "Yep, you too."

She doesn’t watch him go. Not past the first few steps, anyway. Her attention returns to her daggers, to the next target tree. A flick of her wrist sends steel whistling back through the clearing.

~FIN

Gif snipped by Sky <3